Game card



June 22,1943. AE. s'PiTzNER GAME CARD Filed Aug. 9, 1941 l l I l I l L Patented June 22, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAME CARD Erich Spitzner, Chicago, Ill. Application August 9, 1941, Serial No. 406,079

4 Claims.

This invention relates to cards or boards adapted for use in connection with certain games'such as bingo, or the like, and provides convenient means for scoring which may be used repeatedly.

The objects of the invention are to provide an improved card or board of the character indicated in which the desired series of numbers or combinations thereof may be printed or permanently afxed directly to the main card, and convenient means provided for covering or marking the numbers as they are called whereby the desired or winning combinations may be shown or indicated; to provide a game card or device which may be manufactured at a minimum expense and which will be durable and efficient in use; to provide a game card having a plurality of numerals or indicia thereon and' individual slides for covering the numbers as they are called, and also for showing or indicating the numbers thus covered; to provide a bingo card, or thelike, having the numbers printed thereonA and having guideways adjacent to the respective numbers with slidable transparent indicators or shutters for temporarily covering the numbers as they are called; and to provide such other novel features and advantages as will appear more fully from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a front or plan view of a card or device embodying this invention with parts broken away for convenience in illustration;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken subn stantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective detail of one of the shutters or indicators.

This invention contemplates the use of a plurality of main cards or sheets 5 having indicia or numbers 6, printed thereon in different series or combinations such as used for bingo or like games. A second card or sheet 1, preferably coextensive with card 5, is cemented or laminated to the upper surface of the card 5 and has holes or openings 8 registering with the respective numerals as shown. These openings are preferably rectangular and approximately twice as long as the spaces covered by the numerals and provide guldeways for slides or shutters 9 which are slidably mounted therein and which coact for covering the respective numerals or indicia. These shutters can be made of any suitable material but are preferably made of some transparent plastic material having sufficient color to make them readily visible. These shutters have upwardly projecting lugs or protuberances I0 which serve as thumb-pieces for moving the same. These lugs or projections are preferably punched Vor embossed in the slides and for this reason the material is one which is adapted for such forming process. I have found that these slides may be readily made of Vinylite, Acetate, Flexiglass, Tenite, or the like.

The slides are held in position by means of a card or sheet Il which is laminated or cemented to the upper or outer surfaces of the card 1 and which is provided with windows or openings` I2 which register with the portions of the openings 8 through which the numbers are visible. The windows I2 are substantially smaller than the Openings 8 so that the adjacent portions of the card Il extend over the slides 9 to hold them in their respective gudeways. One 'of the peripheral edges of each of the windows I2 has a notch or recess I3 for receiving the thumb-piece I0 when the corresponding slide is in retracted position. By means of this arrangement, the slides may all be moved to the left as shown in Fig. 1 to uncoverv the corresponding numbers preparatory to starting the game. This may be done by pushing the slides over, or the left hand side of the complete card or board designated by the nunieral I4 may be struck sharply against some object which will cause the slides to move to the left or out of registering positions.

When the cards are to be used and the numbers called, the player will move the corresponding slide or shutter to the right as shown in Fig. 1

whereby the number will be covered, but will preferably still be visible through the shutter. This is continued until the desired sequence of numbers are covered as shown, for instance, in the vertical column at the right hand side of Fig. l. After the numbers across any predetermined line have been covered, the game is completed and the winning card may be readily checked as the numbers in such series may be readily Vinspected through the transparent colored slides.

While I have shown a preferred form of my invention, it is apparent that it may be adapted to various games or perhaps for other uses, and therefore, I do not Wish to be limited to the particular construction shown and described except as specified in the following claims, in which Iclaim:

1. In a device of the character set forth, the combination of a sheet having a plurality of series of numbers printed thereon, said numbers being arranged in rows and spaced apart, a second sheet secured to the rst named sheet and having openings registering with the numbers which are larger than the numbers and which provide guideways, shutters slidably mounted in the guideways and having outwardly extending thumb-pieces, a third sheet secured to the second named sheet and having windows registering with the numbers, said windows having notches in the sides thereof for said thumb-pieces, the last named sheet overlying the shutters and holdn ing them in operative positions within their respective guideways whereby they may be moved as desired over the respective numbers.

2. A bingo board comprising a sheet having numbers for playing the game, printed thereon s that they are in Xed positions, a spacer sheet overlying the first named sheet and having oblong slots registering with each of the numbers, each slot being substantially twice as long as the width of the number, a cover sheet nxed to the spacer sheet and having openings registering with the numbers and of approximately the size of the numbers whereby portions of the slots will project, laterally under the cover sheet, and siidable markers through which the numbers may be visi-ble,` said markers being mounted in the respective slots and held therein by the cover sheet, each marker having an upwardly projecting thumb piece for operating the same which terminates substantially at the upper surface of the cover sheet, and the sides of the openings on the cover sheet having recesses for receiving the thumb pieces when the cover pieces are moved out of register with the numbers.

3. A card for use in connection with games such as bingo, or the like, comprising a sheet having numbers printed in horizontal' and vertical rows thereon, a second sheet secured to the face of the rst named sheet and coextensi've therewith, said second sheet having oblong rectangular openings therein which are approximately twice as long as the width of the numbers, with one end of each opening coinciding with one of the numbers, a third sheet secured to the face of the second named sheet and substantially coeXtensive therewith, said third sheet having openings for the respective numbers which are approximately the size of the numbers but shorter than the height of the first named openings, said sheet with the openings therein forming guideways adjacent to each number, cover slides slidably mounted in each of said guideways and held therein by the last named sheet, said slides being substantially the size of the numbers and having upwardly extending projections forming iinger pieces which terminate approximately at the upper surface of the last named sheet, said slides being normally positioned in the covered portions of the guideways and being adapted to be slid over the adjacent number, for the purposes described.

4. In a game board, the combination of a main card having indicia printed thereon, in different series for use in connection with the game, a second card secured to the upper surface of the main card and having openings registering with the respective indicia, said openings being oblong and approximately twice as long as the spaces for the indicia and providing guideways, shutters slidably mounted in said guideways and adapted for covering the respective indicia, said shutters having upwardly projecting thumb pieces for moving the same, means for holding the shutters within their respective` guideways comprising a third card. which is secured to the upper surface of the `second named card and which has windows registering with the portions of the openings in the second named card through which the numbers are visible, said windows being substantially smaller than the openings, so that the adjacent portions of the last named card extend over the respective slides and conne them in theirr guideways, the arrangement being such that all of the shutters may be simultaneously moved to covered positions by striking the edge of the board against some object.

ERICH SPITZNER. 

